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Faculty Bibliography
2009
Teaching Confucianism
Thomas Dolan
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RESOURCES
BOOK REVIEW ESSAYS
TEACHING CONFUCIANISM
EDITED BY JEFFREY L. RICHEY
OXFORD: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2008
224 PAGES, ISBN: 978-0195311600, PAPERBACK
Reviewed by Thomas P. Dolan
W
hile any scholar or teacher of Chinese culture and philosophy is familiar with the classic works of literature of two
millennia ago (Yijing, The Analects of Confucius, the Art of
War and many others), these are often presented to students without
the contexts in which they were developed. Doing so is like trying to explain Christianity to someone without reference to Judaism or the
Roman occupation of Judea, or like trying to explain Socialism without referring to Marx or Lenin. Jeffrey Richey’s Teaching Confucianism
offers us the opportunity to provide the proper setting for discussions
of Confucian beliefs, ethics, and behavior through a collection of teaching commentaries suitable for a variety of audiences.
Richey and John Berthong begin by separating the study of Confucianism into six “epochs,” from the time of Confucius up to the twentieth century. Over time, Confucian ideas have been applied to different
situations for different purposes, and the essays in this text reflect those
differences.
Mark Csikszentmihalyi’s “The Social and Religious Context of
Early Confucian Practice” fleshes out the beginner’s exposure to the
rituals addressed in Analects. By giving a more detailed explanation of
the imagery used in some of the classic works mentioned in post-Confucian writings, this essay explains that the disciples of Confucius
would have been familiar with such works as the Classic of Odes (Book
of Odes) and Records of Ritual. This essay would be most applicable to
an upper-division university course.
For use at the secondary level (high school), Keith Knapp’s “Learning Confucianism through Filial Sons, Loyal Retainers, and Chaste
Wives” gives the background and resources to explain how iconic figures were used to teach proper behavior in China. Much as heroic figures such as King Arthur and St. George (or even historical figures like
George Washington, who “could not tell a lie”) have been used in relatively recent times, Knapp uses the story of Guo Ju’s intent to sacrifice
his son so that Guo’s mother could live. This essay could also be used
in lesson planning for a lower-division university course.
Joseph Adler’s “Divination and Sacrifice in Song Neo-Confucianism” provides a detailed explanation of ritual practices in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE), while describing some of the roots of these
practices that go back millennia. This essay, which emphasizes the importance of Zhu Xi (1130–1200 CE), also addresses the importance of
the Five Classics (the Yijing, the Shujing, the Shijing, the Chunqiu, and
the Li). This essay is best suited for a university-level course.
In Aaron Stalnaker’s “The Mencius-Xunzi Debate in Early Confucian Ethics” the author examines differing interpretations of how to
achieve the goal of a return to Confucius’ ideal of a government ruled
by “virtuous leaders.” However, the disagreement between Mencius and
Xunzi is one that we see in politics today; i.e., it is a dispute over human
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RESOURCES
BOOK REVIEW ESSAYS
nature. While Mencius believed in the goodness of human nature,
Xunzi saw humans as inherently flawed and operating in their own
self-interest. While written at a scholarly level, the writing style of this
essay is appropriate both for upper-level high school courses in politics
or philosophy or for university courses.
Long after the time of Confucius and his adherents, and after Zhu
Xi had progressed in the development of Neo-Confucianism, came
what Richey and Berthong describe as the Reactive Period (1644–
1911). Robert Foster opens his essay “Understanding the Ethical Universe of Neo-Confucianism” by describing how Chinese intellectuals in
the early twentieth century fought against neo-Confucianism, seeing it
as a philosophy that bound China to the past. Foster provides a detailed
explanation of the development of Neo-Confucianism as a critique or
alternative to classic Confucian thought and practice, and while thoroughly documented, this essay would not be useful below the level of
university coursework.
In his “Problematizing Contemporary Confucianism in East Asia,”
Yiu-ming Fung also addresses the May Fourth Movement of 1919, as
Foster does, and how Chinese intellectuals blamed Confucian thought
and practice for China’s inability to take part in the modern world.
Fung explains how this rejection of Neo-Confucianism moderated by
the second half of the twentieth century, and that some Chinese scholars returned to Confucian metaphysics. These new scholars distinguished their study of “contemporary Neo-Confucianism” (also called
New Confucianism) from the “Neo-Confucianism of the Song-Ming
Dynasties.” Fung explains that Neo-Confucianism, in both its older and
newer forms, is inherently different from Western philosophical
thought. While contemporary Western thought is built upon the scientific tradition, a full understanding of Confucian thought is rooted
more in a metaphysical or “transcendental realm.”
Fung’s discussion of how contemporary Confucianism is interpreted to permit individual success (he states that “inner sageliness”
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EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA
can lead to “outer kingliness”) explains the economic success of many
Asian nations. This discussion would make this essay useful for a university-level course in international business.
The last two essays in this book, “Reenchanting Confucius: A
Western-Trained Philosopher Teaches the Analects” by John Furlong
and “Teaching Confucianism in Christian Contexts” by Judith Berling,
provide sound introductions for faculty at either the high school or
university level who have not had any training in Asian philosophy or
political theory. Furlong points out the need to examine the Analects as
a work of its time and its place, and how Western (American) students
might easily dismiss it as simply “a bunch of rules.” American students,
in particular, tend to idealize ancient Asian philosophy as the key to
special insight and without the proper context, the Analects (or the Yijing, or any other such work) lacks deep meaning.
Berling points out the need for Western Christians to understand
the philosophies that underlie Asian traditions and beliefs, especially as
the world becomes more globalized and the likelihood of contact between themselves and Asians increases. She addresses how an understanding of Confucius as a human and a teacher can ease Christian
concerns about Confucianism as a religion. Berling writes from the
viewpoint of a teacher, and her essay would be particularly useful for
any Western educator involved in either Asian studies or study-abroad
programs in Asia.
Collectively, the essays in Teaching Confucianism offer educators
a range of both practical course guidance and scholarly research. THOMAS P. DOLAN is a Professor of Political Science, Columbus State University,
Columbus Georgia. He teaches Asian Political Thought, Comparative Politics (Asian,
Africa, and Latin America), American Foreign Policy, and American Government. He
has been a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, The Encyclopedia of China
(Berkshire Publishing), and The Encyclopedia of the Developing World (Routledge).
Volume 14, Number 2
Fall 2009